Compost

[Saricane]

Who actually use compost for farming ? The idea is good, but the way to obtain it make it rather useless.

First of all, compost production can only start at mid game, because of the needed barrel. And when you have a saw to make a barrel, you're probably not struggling for survival anymore. This problem is behind you.

Second, you need huge amount of rot to make 2 ridiculous tiles of compost. But who can afford to waste such a precious food, especially during the first winter, where you check the end date of every vegetable you have in your unique storage vessel ?

In my own experience, I found incredibly more efficient to take the road looking for terra preta and return it home instead of trying to make compost. If only compost had the same productivity as terra preta ... but no. Not even.

So, I suggest compost should be accessible from the beginning of the game, with no tool to produce it. Let's put 8 dry grass and 1 rot in the grid to obtain 1 compost. This way, it could be a good temporary way to do an efficient small garden before looking for a better production.

[DrEngine]

I agree. You are out of food at the beginning and you start producing Compost at mid game when you have plenty of food from farming/breeding. And you have a lot of TerraPrata at that stage usually. We have played few (real) months and we have got a lot of Terra Prata (few big fields for farming based on Terra Prata, and about 10 stacks of TP left), but very few compost (only 1,5 stack) although our food spoil a lot.
It's misbalanced I think. It'd be fine to have some other special use only for Compost (base for mushrooms ?).

[Prin]

I think it only functions as a more acceptable placeholder for actual terra preta when you run out of the quality stuff. Personally, I keep it around for when I want to expand my farm area for that reason. I wouldn't say that people intentionally waste food, but it at least gives an option for what to do with food that spoils before it can be consumed. A farm large enough to rotate through crops without fully depleting the soil is the lifegoal for me.

I do like the idea of being able to use compost for certain crops, though, this would make collecting it worthwhile.

[Thalius]

I am hoping plans are in the works to bring a better, more logical composting system into the game.  As it is now, I can't imagine it will not be changed.  Compost is simply not used in the way it works in the game at this time.

I like the beginning of the suggestion in the op, but let me offer the following-

Mix a few pieces of grass with a bit of rot to make a bit of compost- NOT a block of compost that can be placed. This bit of compost is then sneek-right click placed on the ground to start a compost pile.  Once a compost pile is started, you can add rot or other organic items to it along with a certain amount of required grass.  The compost pile takes time to ripen, but once done you have a pile of usable compost.

The compost pile would form an actual pile, and one could use their hands or a shovel to cut parts of it away, resulting in the pile getting smaller and the player acquire chunks of compost.  As long as some part of the pile remains, one could add additional organic material along with grass to grow the pile again, and one would have to wait again for the whole pile to ripen.  The more finished compost that makes up the pile, the faster the added items compost, and the pile is ready faster.

As for how to use the compost- It should not be a block that is placeable.  Compost should be added to existing soil just as other nutrients are, improving the nutrient content of the soil up to a certain amount. After that, other nutrients would be needed to max out the nutrient value of a farm tile.

Humbly submitted for consideration...
~TH~

[Saricane]

You're right. My recipe was too much basic and not really in the spirit of this game. Your recipe is better, clearly. But the key of your post is at the end. Of course, compost should not be a block, but a fertilizer. A generic fertilizer, that increase a small and equal amount of N,P and K. And if you want better, just produce specialized fertilizers. That make sense.

[Prin]

On 3/24/2021 at 8:16 PM, Thalius said:

I am hoping plans are in the works to bring a better, more logical composting system into the game.  As it is now, I can't imagine it will not be changed.  Compost is simply not used in the way it works in the game at this time.

I like the beginning of the suggestion in the op, but let me offer the following-

Mix a few pieces of grass with a bit of rot to make a bit of compost- NOT a block of compost that can be placed. This bit of compost is then sneek-right click placed on the ground to start a compost pile.  Once a compost pile is started, you can add rot or other organic items to it along with a certain amount of required grass.  The compost pile takes time to ripen, but once done you have a pile of usable compost.

The compost pile would form an actual pile, and one could use their hands or a shovel to cut parts of it away, resulting in the pile getting smaller and the player acquire chunks of compost.  As long as some part of the pile remains, one could add additional organic material along with grass to grow the pile again, and one would have to wait again for the whole pile to ripen.  The more finished compost that makes up the pile, the faster the added items compost, and the pile is ready faster.

As for how to use the compost- It should not be a block that is placeable.  Compost should be added to existing soil just as other nutrients are, improving the nutrient content of the soil up to a certain amount. After that, other nutrients would be needed to max out the nutrient value of a farm tile.

Humbly submitted for consideration...
~TH~

!!!!!!!! Yes. Yes! Please, all of this. I want it, my precious. WANTZ IT!